INCOLAB Informe resumido

The curriculum for post-graduate specialisation study "Technical quality" was developed in order to provide and disseminate knowledge and experiences related to assurance of technical quality, adoption or harmonisation and implementation of technical standards and directives, conformity assessment, accreditation, certification, quality systems, measurement and testing problems etc. Such study programme would not be helpful only to students before their first employment but especially to experts from industry and also public servants or governmental staff. The curriculum was developed according to the needs and requirements of the interested partners (industry, laboratories, regulatory and administrative bodies).

Wider long-term objective is to facilitate the activities in the field of technical quality, comprising of technical harmonisation activities, conformity assessment techniques/procedures, metrology, quality assurance, and related legislation, by providing post-graduate students, industries, services and especially public servants, engaged in writing Slovenian technical legislation, with useful knowledge in the form of a University post-graduate a complete one year specialisation study or a custom made seminar from related areas when required.

Before the study each student must chose a mentor from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering. Mentor guides a student during the study and proposes a topic of a seminar and a specialisation work, sometimes also study subjects. Study subjects are of selection type but at least 80% of study subjects should be chosen among above stated study subjects. Other study subjects could be chosen with consent of a mentor also at faculties, which carry out studies related to a field of interest and to a topic of a specialisation work. Study subjects are given by the lecturers of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering but occasionally also experts from industry or lecturers from abroad are invited. It is to emphasise that the specialisation is considered as an interdisciplinary postgraduate programme; therefore it requires only a general technical undergraduate background.

The education programme is supposed to be a university one- year post-graduate specialization study. Lectures will cover theoretical backgrounds of relevant topics, while practical work will cover most representative measurement, testing, quality and conformity assessment techniques. It is intended for those postgraduate students, coming from industries, public sector etc. that do not want to obtain a masters or a doctorate degree, but want to obtain a degree of a specialist in the field of technical quality.

Each study subject and a seminar is completed, when a written exam is passed. To begin with a specialisation work all exams must be completed. A specialisation work is completed after it is successfully defended in front of a commission. Thus a student achieves a title "specialist in technical quality". The proof of qualification, the diploma of a specialist in technical quality will be useful either as a result of continuous education, re-qualification or to ease the first time employment for young graduates and make them more employable.

Especially for public servants, topics from the specialisation study could be tailored to their specific needs when required. When courses tailored to specific needs are performed, i.e. related to the Low Voltage Directive for market surveillance personnel, the faculty is free to decide upon a formal structure of the course. The proof of their attendance will be a diploma of attendance at a particular course.

In order to achieve the desired outputs, human resources are of paramount importance. To meet the overall objectives very close relations between University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, and Slovenian industry, services, governmental and non-governmental institutions were established. This fact guaranties that appropriate curriculum and syllabuses could be developed. In addition, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering has a long lasting relation with participation in the EU projects. The Faculty of Electrical Engineering has set-up in the period of last ten years a group of junior teaching staff that has closely collaborated with industry, public sector and has experiences with work in the EU environment. This group, consisting of four teachers and four assistants fully engaged the acquisition of new knowledge and is capable to its efficient dissemination.

One of extremely important elements of the proposed curriculum and its successful realisation is equipment for up to date experimental work. Study cannot succeed without adequate equipment support and proper practical training. The laboratory is well equipped and has sufficient resources to provide modern measurement and testing equipment suitable for realisation of the study programme.